Machine for processing tubular goods



July 16, 1968 I D. l. BROOK o f MACHINE FOR PROCESSING TUBULAR GOODS Filed Feb. 14, 1966 FIG 3 INVEN TOR. 4100 5200K United States Patent 3,392,430 MACHINE FOR PROCESSING TUBULAR GOODS David I. Brook, 92 Robby Lane, New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040 Filed Feb. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 537,589 Claims. (Cl. 26-55) The present invention relates generally to improvements in a machine for processing tubular goods, and more particularly to an improved drive for gripping and imparting controlled movement to such tubular goods during the feed thereof through the processing machinery.

As is generally understood, the finishing of tubular goods requires such operations as steaming, calendering, slitting, to mention a few, many of which may be achieved with commercially available processing machinery. Basically, each processing machine has provision for imparting movement to the tubular goods to advance the same through various work stations where the finishing operations are performed. The tubular goods are usually fitted about a spreading mandrel and thus presented for the several finishing operations in a distended condition. This requirement that the tubular goods be passed along a spreading mandrel during feed through the processing machinery complicates the problem of providing movement to the goods. Firstly, this condition of the goods limits, at least as far as known conventional practice is concerned, the gripping of the goods for imparting movement thereto to those areas on the goods accessible along the sides of the mandrel. Secondly, the frictional resistance of the mandrel which is a function of many variables, including even the texture and nature of the goods, Will vary considerably over the length of the mandrel so that the driving force necessary to overcome such frictional resistance must be tailored to the circumstances. A driving force greatly in excess of that necessary to overcome the frictional resistance of the mandrel will unduly stretch the goods, while an inadequate driving force will not provide the requisite feed of the goods. Currently, available drives for conventional processing machinery do not adequately solve the problem of feeding the tubular goods along a spreading mandrel and, in practice, may cause stretching or undue wrinkling of the goods.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive which overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide an improved drive for advancing tubular goods along a mandrel which is capable of operating over a Wide range of driving rates and yet is subject to precise control to provide controlled feed movement of the tubular goods. This controlled feed movement substantially eliminates distortion in the processed goods.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating objects and features of the present invention there is provided in combination with a machine for processing tubular goods and including a mandrel along which the goods passes, an improved drive means for imparting movement to such goods including a group of three, vertically arranged or coaxially mounted idler or driven rollers journalled on the side of the mandrel, and two independently powered driving rollers in driving contact with these driven rollers and located adjacent the mandrel and these driven rollers. In a preferred arrangement, one driving roller contacts the upper and lower driven rollers and the other driving roller contacts 3,392,430 Patented July 16, 1968 "Ice only the remaining middle driven roller. The goodsreceiving nips thusly formed are effective to impart movement to the goods threaded through these nips and, by controlling the powering speeds of the driving rollers, accurate speed control is maintained over the feed movement of the goods to avoid distortion in the goods at this time. Further, by providing additional idler rollers in driving contact with the driving rollers, as at the approach to and exit from these driving rollers, the goods-receiving nips may be increased to correspondingly increase the gripping area on the goods available for imparting movement to the same.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of processing machinery for tubular goods which includes an improved drive means for causing movement of said goods through said machinery;

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of said improved drive means; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of said drive means with portions in section and broken away to better illustrate features of construction thereof.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein there is shown portions of a machine, generally designated 10, for handling tubular knit goods 12. As is generally understood, the machinery 10 includes a mandrel 14 supported on spaced horizontally oriented rollers 16 over which the tubular knit goods 12 is fitted and held in a distended condition while being moved along the mandrel 14 in a feed path A through the machinery 10.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved drive means, generally designated 20, is provided the machinery 10 to provide controlled movement of the tubular goods 12 along the feed path A. Several such drive means 20 may be provided at progressive locations along the feed path A and, as shown in FIG. 1, at each such location there is preferably a pair of drive means 20, opposite each other, appropriately embodied in the sides of the mandrel 14. Only one of the drive means 20 will be described in detail herein for the sake of brevity.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 1, 3, the mandrel 14 has a section of length 14a of reduced width which provides a clearance space S in opposite sides thereof for accommodating each of the drive means 20. Supported on the mandrel 14, within each clearance space S, is a centrally located vertical or coaxial arrangement of three freely rotatable rollers 22, 23 and 24, and two additional freely rotatable rollers 26 and 28 spaced slightly removed from and on opposite side of the vertical arrangement of rollers 22-24. All of the coaxial rollers 2224 and rollers 26 and 28 are idler or driven rollers which are powered in rotation by driving rollers mounted externally of the mandrel 14 and adjacent to these rollers.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated herein, the structure for mounting the driven rollers 22-24 and 26 and 28 includes a wall 30, to which the mandrel length segments 14a are appropriately connected, as at 31, as by welding or the like, pairs of mounting brackets 32 and 34 extending laterally from the top and bottom edges 3 of the wall 30, and shafts 36 mounted between the brackets 32 and 34 on which the mandrel driven rollers are appropriately journalled for rotation.

Located adjacent the mandrel length segments 14a are vertical upstanding supports 38 mounting two driving rollers 40 and 42, each having independent powering means such as variable speed electric motors 44, 46 and each having appropriate driving connections thereto. The driving rollers 40, 42 are arranged to cooperate with and form goods-receiving nips N with the mandrel driven rollers 22-24 and rollers 26 and 28 and are effective to impart controlled movement to the tubular goods 12 when such goods are appropriately threaded through the nips N.

More particularly, the driving rollers 46 and 42, in their advantageous locations on opposite sides of the centrally located coaxial rollers 22-24 are each adapted to make selective driving contact with the different rollers of this vertical arrangement of rollers. As best shown in FIG. 2, the driving roller 40 has a concavely bowed peripheral surface and the rollers 22-24 a convexly bowed overall shape such that at opposite edges on the roller 40 driving contact is made only with the upper and lower driven rollers 22 and 24. The remaining driven roller 23, on the other hand, is clear of the roller 40 and powered in rotation by the other driving roller 42 which makes driving contact only with this roller. The remaining mandrel driven rollers 26 and 28 are respectively located outwardly and on opposite sides of the driving rollers 42 and 40 and cooperate with these driving rollers to form additional goods-receiving nips N for the tubular goods 12. These additional nips N, in an obvious manner, increase the area on the tubular goods 12 which is gripped and thereby enhance the driving power of the drive means 20. Further when the circumstances dictate, additional goods-receiving nips N can be formed with additional idler rollers appropriately mounted on the mandrel 14 so as to make contact with the outer idler rollers 26 and 28.

The control over the speed of movement of the tubular goods 12 along the path of movement A which is provided by the drive means 20 is achieved primarily by the goods-receiving nips N formed between the driving rollers 40 and 42 and the vertical arrangement of driven rollers 22-24 and by the control exercised over the powering speeds of the driving rollers 40, 42. This speed control is achieved by having the motors 44 and 46 arranged to independently drive the rollers 40 and 42, such drive in each case including pulleys 48 and 50 mounted respectively on the motor shaft 51 and the driving roller shaft 52 and a pulley belt 54 appropriately trained about the pulleys 48, 50. Additionally, appropriately mounted on the vertical support 38 is a separate tachometer 56, or other conventional rate of speed measuring device, operatively connected, as at 58, to provide continual measurements of the rotational speed of each of the driving rollers 40 and 42.

By virtue of the foregoing flexible drive arrangement, each driving roller 40 and 42 is driven, in practice, at any desired speed of rotation by the independent variable speed motors 44, 46, and further each speed of rotation thereof is kept under continual surveillance by inspection of the tachometers 56. Thus, it is a relatively simple matter for the operator of the machinery to operate the driving rollers 40 and 42 of each drive means 20 at speeds which will not result in a stretching out or undue relaxation of the tubular goods 12 during movement thereof along the mandrel 14, or to so control and coordinate the operating speeds of the drive means 20 at progressive locations along the feed path A to gradually increase or decrease the speed of movement of the goods 12 without harmful distortion of the goods.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a mandrel of a variable rate drive for advancing tubular goods over said mandrel comprising a first variable speed drive including a first drive roller disposed adjacent one side of said mandrel, a second variable speed drive including a second drive roller space from said first drive roller and disposed adjacent said one side of said mandrel, and first and second idler roller means mounted in coaxial relation on said mandrel in an operative position interposed between said first and second drive rollers, said first idler roller cooperating with said first drive roller to form a first goods-receiving nip therebetween to drive said tubular goods at a first rate as established by said first variable speed drive and said second idler roller cooperating with said second drive roller to form a second goods-receiving nip therebetween to drive said tubular goods at a second rate as established by said second variable speed drive.

2. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 1 including at least two additional idler rollers mounted on said mandrel, each of said rollers being located on opposite sides of said first and second idler rollers and spaced therefrom and each forming an additional goods-receiving nip with each of said drive rollers.

3. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 1 wherein each variable speed drive includes a variable speed motor operatively connected to drive each of said drive rollers and a speed measuring device operatively connected to measure the rotational speed of each of said drive rollers.

4. The combination with a machine for processing tubular goods having a mandrel along which said goods passes of a variable rate drive for causing movement of said goods along said mandrel comprising a group of at least three independently rotatable driven rollers and means for coaxially mounting said driven rollers on said mandrel, a pair of independently powered driving rollers mounted adjacent said mandrel on opposite sides of said coaxial driven rollers and in selective contact therewith to form goods-receiving nips therebetween, one of said driving rollers forming a goods-receiving nip with each of the upper and lower of said coaxial driven rollers and the other driving roller forming a goods-receiving nip with the middle coaxial driven roller, and speed control means for regulating the rotational speed of each of said driving rollers to provide a controlled speed of travel of said goods through said goods-receiving nips and along said mandrel.

5. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 4 wherein said speed control means includes independent variable speed motors operatively connected to drive each of said driving rollers and independent speed measuring devices operatively connected to measure the rotational speed of each of said driving rollers.

6. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 4 wherein the first encountered driving roller in the direction of movement of the goods is preferably said roller forming the goods-receiving nips with said upper and lower driven rollers.

7. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 4 including at least two additional driven rollers mounted on said mandrel, each of said driven rollers being located on opposite sides of said coaxial driven rollers and spaced therefrom and each forming an additional goods-receiving nip with each of said driving rollers.

8. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 4 including means for supporting the mandrel in a substantially horizontal position and wherein said coaxial driven rollers are mounted on said mandrel substantially in a vertical relationship to each other.

9. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 8 wherein the first encountered driving roller in the direction of movement of the goods is preferably that roller forming the goods-receiving nips with said upper and lower driven 5 rollers, said driving roller having a concavely bowed peripheral surface and making contact at opposite edges thereon with said upper and lower driven rollers.

10. A variable rate drive as defined in claim 9 including at least two additional driven rollers mounted on said mandrel, each of said driven rollers being respectively located at the approach to and the exit from said driving rollers and each forming an additional goods-receiving nip with each of said driving rollers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A MANDREL OF A VARIABLE RATE DRIVE FOR ADVANCING TUBULAR GOODS OVER SAID MANDREL COMPRISING A FIRST VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE INCLUDING A FIRST DRIVE ROLLER DISPOSED ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID MANDREL, A SECOND VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE INCLUDING A SECOND DRIVE ROLLER SPACE FROM SAID FIRST DRIVE ROLLER AND DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID MANDREL, AND FIRST AND SECOND IDLER ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED IN COAXIAL RELATION ON SAID MANDREL IN AN OPERATIVE POSITION INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE ROLLER, SAID FIRST IDLER ROLLER COOPERATING WITH SAID FIRST DRIVE ROLLER TO FORM A FIRST GOODS-RECEIVING NIP THEREBETWEEN TO DRIVE SAID TUBULAR GOODS AT A FIRST RATE AS ESTABLISHED BY SAID FIRST VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE AND SAID SECOND IDLER ROLLER COOPERATING WITH SAID SECOND DRIVE ROLLER TO FORM A SECOND GOODS-RECEIVING NIP THEREBETWEEN TO DRIVE SAID TUBULAR GOODS AT A SECOND RATE AS ESTABLISHED BY SAID SECOND VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE. 